Is Racism Really Over? A$AP Ferg Walks Back NPR Comments

Talking with NPR’s Microphone Check recently, A$AP Mob’s A$AP Ferg dropped a number of interesting mindgrapes about a variety of topics, ranging from his thoughts on racism to revealing one of his biggest musical and life inspirations.

First off, Ferg opened up about his thoughts on racism, and contrary to Common’s current views, believes it’s over.

“Racism been over,” A$AP Ferg says. “It’s the old people that keep on holding on to it. We don’t hold on to that s—-. We don’t know racism. We all like having — like my brother had white — my little brother had white girlfriends. And that’s regular…I think that’s classism. I don’t think it’s racism…Like, who got the biggest money. So we gon’ keep these — we gon’ oppress these people. They don’t get nothing. And it’s a pyramid. That’s how the pyramid work. You need — everybody plays a position. You need all of these soldiers or whatever to keep the big man up there. I want to be the big man. I don’t want to be like these guys holding the big man up.”

Ferg took to Instagram following the release of the interview to clear up his message.

Next, the A$AP Mob artist spoke about Missy Elliott, and revealed why he calls her one of his biggest inspirations.

“She’s been one of my biggest inspirations in life,” he said. “Way before I was rapping, I was looking at Missy videos and loving her music. And just the visuals, I never imagined that I would one day be doing music and, you know, dope visuals like that as well. So just for us to share that moment with one another, that was the biggest thing for me…I’m not pressed to do music or nothing like that when it comes to these type of artists that I look up to because I have to — you have to understand I’m not — I have to just jump in the passenger seat when I’m with Missy or Timbaland and just learn. You know what I’m saying? Cause they got a lot of knowledge for me to absorb. So, I don’t want to just be so quick to get a song done and then just keep bouncing with life. I want to enjoy this — I want this moment to last forever.”

Ferg also discussed the visual side of music today, something he feels could be vastly improved.

“There’s a void that needs to be filled that I feel like that’s where I come into place, as far as visually,” Ferg says. “You know, a lot of rappers been putting out a lot of sub-par visuals. I feel like the visuals could be better. Everything is accessible. Nothing is like building sets and taking it back to Hype Williams days when they was building sets and, you know, actually shooting crazy videos. And I understand, like, it’s all due to budgeting and things like that. But I feel like there’s ways to go around it and still be creative. And that’s where I come into play. Cause I miss those videos. And I would link with Missy and Busta Rhymes and we would talk about these things. And I’d be like, ‘Yo. I miss those days where the crazy videos and the visuals was out.’ Like, it was an event… I mean, I feel like when I go to World Star, when I see a video, I only watch it about once or twice cause it’s not that interesting no more.”

Lastly, Ferg spoke on J Dilla and, although he admits to still being a student of Dilla’s work, he recognizes that the late producer was a master at mixing and looping beats.

“Well, I’m still a student when it comes to J Dilla,” Ferg says. “I’m still getting into his art and everything. But people say he was a master at mixing and looping beats, like before you had all of these new programs and everything like that. So I just love that about him. Like, he was real innovative and he was pushing the culture in that way. But I’m still studying the guy. And I’m very, very curious to know what everybody love about him.”